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[Desastre em Brumadinho] It was November 2015 when tragedy broke down in Brazil after a barragem (dam) holding waste from an iron ore mine rompeu (collapsed) in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais. Three years have gone by an nothing seems to have changed, as we now deal with yet another dam collapse, this time even deadlier and more destructive than before. Today we cover the most recent desastre ambiental (environmental disaster) that quite literally been sweeping across our nation.

barragem – dam

rompimento – collapse

mina de minério de ferro – iron ore mine

resgate – rescue

lama – mud

pessoas desaparecidas – missing persons

bombeiros – firefighters

desastre ambiental – environmental disaster

On January 25th, in the city of Brumadinho (where Latin America’s largest open air museum, Inhotim, is located), a barragem (dam) owned by the giant mining company Vale (also involved in the previous disaster) gave way, swallowing up everything that met its path. Regarded as the worst desastre ambiental (environmental disaster) in Brazilian history, the sludge inundou rios (flooded rivers), matou animais (killed livestock), destruiu ecossistemas, construções e casas (destroyed ecosystems, constructions and houses). Not to mention, of course, the perdas humanas (human losses) of an unprecedented 165 victims and 160 desaparecidas (missing), as of today. Outraging data, considering that the previous accident took the vidas (lives) of considerably less, 19 pessoas (people).

The lama (mud) moved at an alarming speed, even engulfing the mine’s administrative area, where a large number of trabalhadores (workers) were having lunch at the time. The alarm did not disparou (go off) as it should have, making it even harder to evacuate the area. As many as 10 km of mudflow has been spilled over, leaving a toxic trail of devastation and being up to 7 feet deep in some places. It has reached rios (rivers) which could possibly contaminate the fornecimento de água (water supply)

Reasons are unclear as to what may have caused the barragem (dam) to break apart. Although initially identified as baixo risco (low risk) with little potential for danos (damage), there have been reports and warnings of a possible vazamento (leakage), thus leading to the theory of negligência (recklessness) and malpractice, since the dam was deemed unstable. The company is currently under investigation and the disaster will be brought under closer scrutiny. Experts have been claiming that our country’s deeply flawed sistema de fiscalização (regulatory system) is to blame for the failure. Either way, the population demands that the culpados (culprits) be held accountable for their actions. The consequences of the economic impact brought by this disaster are still incalculable. Resgates (rescue efforts) are being carried out daily by bombeiros (firefighters) and volunteers, and crews are working hard to encontrar (track down) the bodies buried under the waste.

It is hard to stay hopeful when the scenario of impunity and negligence means that these tragedies might still happen. We must realize that these pressing concerns must be addressed as soons as possible by the authorities and that environmental groups must be taken seriously. Our heart goes out to all the families.

It was all caught on video. Watch the perplexing footage of the moment the dam ruptured:

Our previous posts compiled a bunch of tips, recommended websites and ideas to ajudar vocês (help you) further your Portuguese skills. Now let’s move on to the second installment with some more suggestions!

Vamos aprender português? Let’s learn Portuguese?

Melhore suas habilidades de escuta | Improve your listening skills

2) Veja as notícias | Watch the News

We already indicated some jornais (newspapers) and podcasts so you can keep up with the notícias (news). But if you are more into TV broadcast, then assistir (watching) programs may be the best way to go. GloboNews was Brazil’s first 24-hour news channel. By accessing their website, you can pick the topics and watch the videos. Subscribers can watch conteúdo ao vivo (live content) as well. On a different note, there’s HBO’s Greg News, a satirical talk-show following the model of programas (shows) like John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight and featuring comediante e escritor (comedian and writer) Gregório Duvivier.

Maybe spending hours indiscriminately watching Youtube videos is already part of your rotina (daily life). Truth be told, it is easy to get sucked up into that inviting universe. So while you are at it, why not watch something in Portuguese too? Here is a selection of top Brazilian Youtube Channels, ranging from humoristic to educational and entertaining:

To some people, writing and speaking can be the toughest part of aprender um idioma (learning a language), since it actually involves an active production. But, to build a solid linguistic foundation, you cannot escape it. Remember all those notícias (news) and books (livros) that we have been talking about since the beginning of this post? Well, now it is time to compartilhar (share) all these new information you learned com os outros (with others)! Finding yourself a conversation parceiro (partner) might be an excellent idea. So entre (join) these salas de bate-papo (chat rooms) below and start the interaction! Finding groups on social networks also goes a long way in making native amigos (friends) to practice all of your skills at once!

I hope these recursos (resources) can be úteis (helpful) on your path towards fluency! Remember that commitment takes many forms and all you have to do is find out what funciona (works out) for you when it comes to practicing language skills. What truly matters is, always mantenha contato (stay in touch) with the language and expose yourself to it as much as possible!

Are there any other tips that weren’t included here that you would like to share? How have you been learning Portuguese? Tell us all about it in the comments section!

Last post we took a look back at the year 2018 with a retrospective. But how about we focus on the future now and discuss your Portuguese learning aims for 2019? Today I thought it could be a good idea to start by reflecting on some of the most common language learning goals and combine them with a compilation of useful tips and recommendations to help you all achieve what you want!

É hora de aprender! It is time to learn!

Melhore suas habilidades de leitura | Improve your reading skills

1) Leia as notícias | Read the news

Keeping up-to-date with what is going on in a country whose language you are studying is crucial. In addition to that, you can practice your reading abilities and increase your vocabulary while doing so. Make sure to always fazer anotações (take notes) when you come across relevant palavras (words). Here are two of Brazil’s top jornais (newspapers) and revistas (magazines). You are allowed to read a certain number of artigos (articles) free of charge:

How many times have we included “read more books” on our New Year’s Resolution list? Well, now there is extra motivation: why not trying to read a novel (or any other genre, for that matter) in Portuguese? Landmark and Autêntica Publishing company have a wide-ranging catalogue of literature classics in bilingual editions so you can compare both languages. It is possible to either purchase them online or download it to your kindle, if you prefer it:

A while ago, families would fight over the comic strips section of the newspapers. Nowaways you don’t have to fight anymore, and you can even work on your reading skills while having a laugh. Take a look at some popular Brazilian comic strips below and follow them on social media to have their work daily on your feed. You won’t even notice you are aprendendo (learning)!

Melhore suas habilidades de escuta | Improve your listening skills

1) Ouça Podcasts | Listen to Podcasts

Walking or driving around can be a lot more productive if you load up your device with some interesting, attention-grabbing podcasts in Portuguese to escutar (listen to) while you do your tasks. So here is a list with some of the best rated Brazilian podcasts, with a variety of temas (themes) and conteúdo (content), such as journalism, news, science and curiosities:

I hope this little guide may help you all to estudar mais e melhor (study more and better) for this year to come! Did you know of follow any of these páginas (pages) before? Stay tuned for more tips and advice on next week’s post! Boa semana! Great week!

A prisão do ex-Presidente Lula | The arrest of former President Lula

For a period of eight years, from 2013 to 2010, our country was governed by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula. Nowadays, our former president, who was under investigation in the Car Wash Operation, is incarcerated after being sentenced to doze anos (12 years) in prison for charges of corruption and lavagem de dinheiro (money laundering). Despite being one of the most popular politicians in Brazilian history, even being featured in Times magazine as “The 100 Most Influential People in the World”, Lula was nevertheless condenado (convicted) and was unable to move forward with his candidacy and run for president in the 2018 elections, even though he was liderando as pesquisas (leading the polls). Instead, the Workers Party replaced him for Fernando Haddad, eventually derrotado (defeated) in the segundo turno (second round) by Jair Bolsonaro.

Speaking of troubled elections, one of the most surprising incidents of the year was the attack against the conservative candidate Jair Bolsonaro, notorious for his outspoken controversial political views.. While on a campanha (rally) with his apoiadores (supporters) in the streets of Juiz de Fora, in the southeastern region of Brazil, the politician was esfaqueado (stabbed) in the abdomen. His condition was severe for the first couple of weeks, which impacted his campaign. The police prendeu (arrested) a man named Adélio Bispo who was later identified with mental issues. No evidence associating him with a political organization of the opposition was found and he was seemingly acting on his own. All partidos (parties) expressed their deep concerns for Bolsonaro’s saúde (health) and he was eventually fully recovered.

O incêndio no Museu Nacional | The National Museum fire

Another tragedy struck in September when Brazil’s oldest museum was severely damaged by fogo (fire). The edifício (building), listed as our patrimônio nacional (national heritage), had been the residence of the Portuguese royal family in colonial days. Losses were invaluable, as the chamas (flames) ate up a significant portion of a large, wide-ranging collection of natural science and anthropological objects not just from Brazil but from cultures and civilizations from all over the world. Many argue that the place was in poor, neglected conditions and badly needed a reforma (renovation), thus supporting the theory o incêndio (the fire) could have been prevented. 2019 will be dedicated to reconstruction efforts to salvage the ruins and recuperate our memory.

As denúncias contra João de Deus | The charges against João de Deus

Over the past year, the whole world saw the rise of the #MeToo movement take a stand against assédio sexual (sexual harassment) as a way to encourage women to share their experience with homens abusivos (abusive men). Whether this was a reflex of these actions or not, what matters is that Brazil’s major sexual scandal involved the exposure of the well-known medium and psychic João de Deus. His center of spiritual healing had been visited by top celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Hugo Chavez, Shirley MacLane and Bill Clinton. It all crumbled when, after allegations of abuse came pouring in and got wide media coverage. Over duzentos (200) complaints accused the alleged spiritual guide of abuse during consultations in his practice, even his own daughter. Though alegando (claiming) to be innocent, João de Deus se entregou (turned himself) in and foi preso (was arrested) on harassment charges, proving that speaking out can be an effective tool against comportamente impróprio (inappropriate behavior).

Some of these news have been covered by previous posts, check them out here:

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If 2017 was the ano (year) of uncertainties, then in 2018 we were able to obtain many answers – sometimes undesired ones – to our doubts. During the course of events that defined this year, scandals, losses, protests and a lot of turmoil, Brazil underwent a series of mudanças (changes) that perhaps only the year of 2019 will tell us the outcome. In the meantime, here is our 2018 retrospective with the top episodes that made the headlines in our país (country). I wish you all a great year!

A greve dos Caminhoneiros | The truck drivers’ strike

The country literally parou (stopped) in May during the diesel crisis when protesters shut down the estradas (roads) nationwide demanding a redução nos preços (price decrease). As a result, a shortage in supplies such as food, oil and medicines brought the country to a complete halt while negotiations with o governo (the government) were underway. Meanwhile, the prices of combustível (fuel) started to rise reaching almost R$10 per liter (as opposed to its usual R$4). Airports had to cancel flights, schools and universities suspended classes and most services were not functioning properly. After a few days, um acordo (an agreement) was eventually reached between both parties and the roadblocks were removed. Although the impact on the economy was huge, a great share of the population supported the trucker’s rights to take a stand and express their dissatisfaction.

O assassinato de Marielle Franco | The murder of Marielle Franco

The Rio de Janeiro impoverished comunidades (communities) mourned when 5th most voted vereadora (councilwoman) in the cidade (city) of Rio de Janeiro met a tragic ending. Marielle Franco and her driver were shot in a car soon after the politician delivered a speech in an event nearby. Speculations around the case suggest that Franco’s outspoken and relentless stance against gender violence and police brutality might have led to her assassination by members of the opposition. Anger and indignation brought thousands to the ruas (streets) that day to protest the activist’s brutal morte (death). However, the crime remains unsolved. What we do know is that Marielle Franco’s murder was an attack on democracy itself.

A copa do Mundo | The World Cup

Yes, so we did perdemos (lose) to Belgium in June and ended up not bringing the World Cup home from Russia, but the event did bring a lot of alegria (joy) to many Brazilians. Gathering with amigos(friends) for some beer and barbecue while watching the matches and supporting our team was certainly entertaining, even if it just meant making fun of Brazilian soccer star Neymar for his famous quedas (falls) across the campo (field). France was eventually the champion, but since we hosted the previous tournament back in 2014, expectations were high and Brazil did perform well in the majority of jogos (matches), so at least there is some hope for the next one four years from now!

As eleições | The Elections

After the World Cup excitement wore off, it was time for voters to decide on the nation’s future in October Polarization is quite possibly the best word to describe this year’s politics in Brazil, as the controversial far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro rose to prominence and ended up being chosen as our country’s next president with around 55% of votes. This marked the end of the Worker’s Party (PT) nearly treze (13) years in power and has been considered by many as a conservative shift. Nevertheless, the process was a particularly turbulent one, with the Rejection of Lula’s candidacy and the stabbing of Bolsonaro while campaigning, about which we will read more in the following post.

Semana que vem tem mais! There is more to come next week! Feliz ano novo a todos! Happy New Year to all!